Blankly Staring
by LycoX
Summary: Friends and Family witnessing moments of an Oliver they really don't know anymore.
1. Chapter 1

**Blankly Staring**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. This is set at the beginning of season 1 and features Rugged!Oliver. The events with Adam Hunt happen at a much more reasonably later time. Got a bit inspired by PTSD related fics about Oliver on AO3 and since I've covered that a little myself, I thought I'd do more.**

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 **Moira**

As Moira Queen looked on through the door's window at the back of her son, she listened to the words of Dr. Lamb and tried to hold back a shudder at all of what she was told. The fact her son had apparently been staring blankly into the window for at least an hour now was highly unnerving for the older woman. The doctor had stressed that acting like nothing had happened would not be a good thing to do as her son needed as much support as possible in order to truly come back to them. But for all her experiences in the world, this was something she had no experience in dealing with. She also wondered why her son had yet to shave off all that hair as well, but the answer being that having a blade of any kind that close to him unnerved him greatly and it made her want to weep as she considered what that meant.

The unknown horrors on the island he was on that left numerous scars and burns on her baby boy that would most assuredly leave him with PTSD and any other numerous problems made her quickly realize that this was going to be something her boy was going to have to deal with for a long time to come. And that not everyone was going to be able to easily understand this new reality. Coming inside and gently closing the door so as not to possibly disturb him, she slowly walked up to her baby boy that she'd thought lost for so long and made sure to keep some distance between herself and him. "Oliver?" She called out softly but received no response in return.

And while that was expected, it still stung a bit and so she sat down in a near by chair and awaited his return from wherever it was he was at in his mind. It wouldn't be until thirty minutes later when her son turned to look in her direction with a face that almost was unrecognizable with all the hair on it and a lost look in his eyes that made her heart break. He studied her for a moment as if he was trying to figure out just who she was. The sight of his eyebrows finally raising up made her think that perhaps he finally remembered who she was. "M-mom?" He asked softly, unsure of what was in front of him.

She nodded as she stood up and walked towards him with open arms to show she meant him no harm, and soon found herself wrapping her arms around her baby boy in a fierce hug with tears joy and sadness coming down her face. "You're home sweetheart, you're home."

 **Paparazzi**

Paparazzi and various other forms of media were stationed outside the hospital as word had gotten out somehow that Oliver Queen was due to be walking out of those doors very soon, they were waiting for the moment that the long thought to be dead son of Robert and Moira Queen walked out of those doors as this was one Hell of a story for all of them and many of them hoped to capture the perfect sound bite or picture that would be worth a whole lot of money and other various things. They didn't have to wait much longer as they were soon greeted by the sight of Moira Queen and what was quite possibly Oliver Queen himself, but the fact he looked to be unshaven and covering his face with a green tattered hood made it somewhat hard to really know for sure. He was dressed in blue jeans, black sneakers, a black button up shirt that was mostly covered by an unzipped forest green jacket that made many think at first that the tattered green hood was part of it until they realized it wasn't. Three of the Queen family's personal security quickly got in front of the two as reporters and the like tried to rush them in an effort to ask all sorts of questions or take pictures.

"Mr. Queen! What's it like to be back in Starling!?"

"Why isn't Sara Lance with you!?"

These and other various questions were thrown his way and the amount of people around with their flashing lights were beginning to bother him quite a bit. It wasn't until one particular question that got asked that made him stop in his tracks. Said question being if whether or not he was a danger to himself and those around him. It got the questioner an intense stare down that was viewed by a lot of people and the questioner soon found herself a bit creeped out by how long Oliver Queen was staring at her. It was almost as if he was staring at something that wasn't really there. Making her think that her question really was a valid one. Prodding from his mother managed to shake him out of it and cause of how things had gone down, the family and the security guards were able to leave without further incident.

"That was the most intense but creepiest thing I've ever experienced." The reporter said with a shudder.

 **Dinner Time**

It hadn't taken long for Tommy Merlyn to show up and ever since then, he'd been informing his recently returned from the dead best friend about all he'd missed over the past five years. Naturally what had gone down earlier at the hospital was also a hot topic too but once Tommy and the others had realized Oliver wasn't even really paying attention things had gone quiet. He seemed to be staring a hole into the table and it was rather unnerving too and no one quite seemed to know what to do. At least until Thea decided to ask what it'd been like on the island and not really thinking it through fully either.

"Cold… Cruel… Harsh… Lonely..." Oliver responded before getting up and walking away and leaving everyone to think on his words.

Thea honestly felt like wanting to cry after that as she realized her mistake too late. Tommy quickly hugged her and re-assured her that everything was going to be okay. Something both Moira and Walter did shortly afterwards too. When Thea learned her big brother was alive and coming home, she honestly thought things were going to be okay, but after tonight she realized then and there it wasn't going to be that easy. She just didn't know how hard it was going to be for her brother to be able to find some sense of normalcy in the days to come.

 **Rain**

Oliver had been home a month now with little to no contact with anyone in the outside world aside from Tommy. The former castaway had also yet to shave either and Thea honestly had come to strongly dislike it. Conversations with him had been stiff and fairly short and the family had learned very quickly not to go near him when he was having a nightmare or just sleeping in general. Walter had quickly noticed fairly on that young Oliver had a habit of rubbing his fingers together, though was unsure of the purpose of it other then thinking it was likely meant to help calm nerves.

He also liked to hang around in trees for hours as well, though Tommy and Thea had found it pretty neat he knew how to tell time by looking at the sun. Even if at first they weren't quite sure to believe it since both had thought that was just some myth but in a rare instance Ollie had happily shown how much of a myth it really wasn't. It was a moment Thea had really cherished, especially in getting to see her big brother smile again. And currently the archer was standing out in the back yard, looking up at a tree when in reality he was just really staring into nothing.

Walter had come out to see how the young man was faring on this particular day. Despite the fact the boy had been home a month now, he'd had few chances to speak with him and thought that perhaps today would be a chance to try. And maybe see what he thought of his marriage to his mother. A notion that was likely foolish and perhaps selfish on his part all things considered. "Greetings Oliver." The British man said as he stepped up to the side of the former cast away.

Of course silence was his only response, not that he truly expected anything else despite any hopes he may have had. Walter stared at the tree the young man was seemingly staring at as he had been doing so for who knows how long. It was a truly marvelous tree in its own respect and would certainly be a challenge for any who might decide to climb it. _Perhaps young Oliver wishes to challenge himself?_ But quickly pushed the notion out of his mind as the young man had rarely done much that would present a challenge to him since his return home.

"You've certainly chosen a fine time to be tree gazing." The man commented but again received no reply.

There was a silence between the two beyond the noises of the animals near by and Walter didn't particularly find it uncomfortable as Moira or Thea may have in his place. The gentleman was considering making his leave to allow young Oliver to have his time to himself and was even turning around when a voice not often used spoke up. Surprising him greatly in the process even if it was only one word that was spoken. "Rain..."

Walter turned his attention back to his beloved wife's son in slight confusion, wondering if perhaps he mis-heard and merely imagined it. "What was that my boy?" Figuring it would be prudent to ask just to see if he had heard correctly or not.

He honestly wasn't expecting a response but the married gentleman found himself pleasantly surprised if a little curious on the younger man's words. "Its… Going to rain soon." The former cast away said.

And while there had been reports of rain to come in the days that would soon arrive, there had been no indications that there would be any this day. Of course Walter had heard of reports in the past that those attuned with nature to a certain level could sense when it was going to rain and it was because of that knowledge that he wasn't going to outright doubt the claim of the younger man. Not to mention that the weather could surprise you. "Yes, thank you Oliver. I am sure we will all appreciate the early arrival of the rains." Walter responded in the end, feeling it best to leave it at that.

Storm clouds and rain fall would soon appear three hours later, much to the amazement of Walter. Moira, who'd been near by had noticed the look on her husband's face and found herself curious enough to ask what was going on. "Hmm? Oh, my apologies Moira. I was informed earlier by Oliver that the rains would soon happen. And it appears he was correct amazingly enough."

Moira's eyes had shot up in surprise at learning her own son had predicted the rain currently falling down. It made her wonder just what else her son could do and how often he had had to put it into practice. For Thea, despite her misgivings about the changes in the new Ollie, she did find it cool that he was some kind of rain detector now in addtion to telling time by looking at the sun. But in the end, she didn't really care about it a lot as she just wanted her fun loving big brother back more than anything else in the end and didn't care if she was being selfish either.

This new Ollie just wasn't her Ollie and she had trouble dealing with it.

 **Old Love**

Two months had passed since Oliver's return and there'd been more than a few times when he just completely disappeared. Greatly scaring Moira as she feared something happened to him everytime he vanished for hours on end. It had wound up causing her to hire John Diggle in an effort to have someone help keep an eye on her son so that nothing untoward would happen to him. Diggle was someone that Oliver found he could surprisingly relate too as the other man knew full how well how it was to struggle with being home again and with people expecting things to be the same. His new friend's silence and understanding when it came to blankly staring off into space was oddly re-assuring. And at one point, Oliver had even thanked his mother for hiring Mr. Diggle. Something she herself was happy that he was happy about.

Diggle had even taken Thea aside and had a long talk with her as he was able to relate to some degree about coming home a changed person that some couldn't really deal with. His insight was something the girl really appreciated and applied it in how she dealt with her big brother. Sure it was still hard but it was at least a little easier.

Currently, Oliver was sitting on a bench while keeping his face covered by his tattered green hood and blankly staring off into the sky. Something various members at home had quickly learned he was fiercely protective of. Raisa had even offered to patch it up for him but he'd refused, saying that he'd do it himself at some point as it was only right that he did. His words had confused the woman but she left it alone afterwards. Tommy at one point had even asked about it and nearly got hit in the face for insulting it, making him quickly learn to never say anything negative about it again.

A voice was soon heard however in the park he was currently in. A voice he'd not heard in years, a voice that belonged to Laurel Lance. It was enough to break him from his staring and to look in her direction and he saw that she was with another woman. And both seemed to be arguing about something or other that for all he knew could have been about where to go to eat. Before he could really stop himself, Oliver found himself getting up and walking in their direction before finally stopping a short distance away.

Joanna was the first to notice the newcomer just staring at them and pointed it out to Laurel. "Oh! Um…. Hello there." Laurel said, unsure of what exactly she should do and hoped this person wasn't going to try something stupid.

"I'm sorry." Came the man's gruff and hoarse voice, though the Lance girl found it familiar with somehow.

The two girls looked at one another in confusion before looking back at him. "Sorry? What about?" Asked Laurel curiously.

Their guest was silent, leaving the two of them to wonder if he was going to say anything. "I'm sorry… About Sara."

Joanna was surprised as Hell to hear the man say that and Laurel was feeling pretty much the same while wondering how the Hell this man even knew how to connect her to Sara. "Who, who are you?" The Lance girl asked suspiciously and ready to kick ass if need be.

What he did next surprised the two girls as he pulled back his hood and then looked up at them with expressionless eyes. But Laurel would know those eyes anywhere however but was honestly shocked to see her ex here before her. She had thought of going to see him but had yet to do so after a few things Tommy had said. Which had made her wonder if he was just saying any of it to keep her from confronting his best friend. But seeing it for herself made her realize then and there that he hadn't just been saying it after all.

Though seeing it first hand for herself was an entirely different matter. Joanna immediately noticed the change in her friend and it worried her. "Girl? You okay?"

Only Laurel didn't answer as she was simply too shocked by the sight in front of her. _That can't be Ollie… The Ollie I knew would never let himself look like that._ She argued in her head as she tried to comprehend the sight before her.

Before more could be said however, Laurel quickly took off, much to the confusion of Joanna. Looking at the back of her retreating friend, she then looked back towards the mysterious man with a frown on her face. He only stared at where Laurel had been until she decided to chase after her friend to see what was going on. Though she did have to admit that hood had looked slightly familiar…

 **Angry Fathers**

Despite the warnings from not only Laurel but Tommy as well, one Detective Quentin Lance had finally decided to make an appearance at the Queen Mansion with his daughter and the Merlyn pnnk along for the ride after she had mentioned to him about randomly seeing her ex. Though whether or not Laurel would help keep things from getting too out of hand was unclear. The Detective and Diggle nearly got into a fist fight right in the foyer but thankfully Walter had managed to keep it from happening. Both Walter and Moira however had threatened to have the man's badge taken away if he continued to act like a huge ass. While Moira knew the man was looking for closure, she wasn't about to let the man run roughshod in her home and against her son and even said as much.

"Further more, I will allow you to speak with my son. But Walter and I WILL be in the room when you do." She told him sternly and the look she gave him told him clearly she wasn't to be messed with over that.

He didn't like it, but he'd take it. "Yeah, fine." The man muttered.

Thea chose to take that moment to stroll through rather quickly as she didn't want to be anywhere near the cop since she knew he would have relished the opportunity to do some damage to Ollie in some way. "I can safely say you are wasting your time as Ollie's not even in the house right now."

That alarmed both Diggle and Moira, something the Lances and Tommy took notice of rather quickly. "What!? Thea! Where is he!?" The mother asked frantically, causing her daughter to turn around while crossing her arms.

"I saw him go out in to the woods awhile ago." Informed the girl with a shrug of the shoulders, though on the inside she was worried about him.

Diggle qucikly took off towards the back of the house that led to the back yard and the surrounding woods with everyone else following along. They all stopped near the edge and Diggle yelled out Oliver's name to no avail. Looking towards Thea, the bodyguard hurriedly asked her when exactly he ran off into here.

"I umm.. I'm not sure? Maybe 3 hours ago?" She knew she should have said something earlier but what good would it have done to cause worry? Bad enough she was doing enough of that on her own as it was!

Quentin scoffed and felt slightly paranoid that this was some ploy of the Queens to keep him from talking with the little prick. "Is this bad?" Came the surprisingly concerned question from Laurel despite the fact she'd rather not care at all.

"He has been known to frequent the outer edges of the woods, but thus far he hasn't ventured further. At least to our knowledge. Why he would do so now is something of a mystery." Informed Walter helpfully.

Making his way to the front of the group, Quentin stared into the woods and muttered various things to himself before turning around with an unhappy expression on his face. Not that Moira particularly cared at that moment. "Guess I'll come back some other time yeah? That boy of yours can't avoid me forever." Sneered the man and getting a glare in return.

Moira was about to try and inform the man that her son wasn't avoiding him or having help to do so when she trailed off as the body of a Stag was dropped gently to the ground via a rope. Shocking not only the mother, but everybody else. Though Quentin was confused to the whole thing since he had yet to look behind him. Oliver dropping down silently in torn clothing and his green hood only added to their shock. A knife was holstered on his side, making Moira wonder where the Hell he got the thing!

"What? What's with all the looks?" Asked Quentin, irritated with what was going on.

Laurel raised a finger and pointed behind him. Grudgingly he turned around while muttering again and received quite a shock when a body that wasn't there before was right up behind him! "Jeez! What the Hell!?" The man asked as he stumbled back in surprise.

The newcomer didn't say or do anything but stand where he was and Thea had a feeling he was doing that blank stare thing again that she had come to hate as it could be hard to get his attention at times. Though she had been doing less of it and letting him be ever since John had had a talk with her. "Detective, I believe you wished an audience with Oliver?"

Walter got a glare of his own as he could hear the mirth in the man's voice and didn't appreciate it one bit. "Hmmph… Well don't you look all nice."

Frowning when he got no response, he decided to test his luck with an insult that got him a surprise slap on the arm from his daughter. "Hey! What'dya do that for?"

Laurel had to fix him a glare as she knew he knew why she did it. "I may be mad as Hell with Ollie myself but I'm not gonna be stupid about things in someone else's own home." The Lawyer informed him, causing Moira to feel some happyness over the girl's manners.

"I knew I liked you for a reason." The mother joked, earning a smile from Laurel in the process.

Ignoring the byplay, Quentin put his attention back on the Queen punk. "So what'd that deer do to ya? And you forget how to shave or somethin'?" He asked sarcastically and not giving a damn if he was being ignorant, making Thea roll her eyes and making Diggle squash down the urge to deck the man. Something Tommy himself was doing as well!

Oliver looked down at the Stag before looking back at Laurel's father. "Food." Was all he finally said and confusing everybody too.

"Not shaved cause hate blades near my face."

Quentin had trouble understanding that logic considering the fact the kid had a damn knife on him! "You uhh, you forget you got a knife on your side there Mr. Hairy and Tattered?"

Much to his annoyance, his sarcasm just bounced right off Oliver. Leaving Thea, Tommy, and Diggle to be amused. Though in Thea's case slightly grossed out along with her mother and Laurel. Walter was rather queasy himself at the thought. "Goes nowhere near my face. Use to skin Stag."

"But son, you don't need to do that." Moira quickly told him as her boy could always get Raisa to make him something if he was that hungry!

Her son looked at her for a moment before saying anything. "Prefer this kind of food."

She sighed at that as she was aware of his aversion to civilized cooking that he was having trouble overcoming. Quentin, having enough of the freakshow, decided to walk away and try this whole thing again when the punk was able to provide full on sentences. Laurel gave an apologetic look towards everyone but her ex before following after her dad. Tommy stayed where he was however since he didn't want to cause a potential issue between Laurel and her dad with his being around.

"So buddy… You gonna get any help with that big fella?" He asked curiously, something everyone else was wanting to know the answer too even if they weren't exactly sure if they really even wanted to hear the answer.

His best friend and brother in all but blood simply shook his head. "No. Do myself. Shengcun." He told them cryptically before un-sheatthing his knfe and getting down on his knees and slicing at the Stag's skin to begin the skinning work. Instantly making a few of the onlookers rather green.

"Oh God… I'm gonna be sick!" Cried out Thea and she ran off as quickly as she could to get somewhere else to puke. Tommy was also on his way to puking too while Moira, not being able to handle the scene anymore, feld herself with tears in her eyes.

Walter quickly followed with out a look back as he knew his wife was going to need all the support she could get. Diggle, having seen worse thanks to the horrors of war stayed there and wondered what that 'Shengcun' word meant. "You need anything man?"

Stopping his work, Oliver thought about the question. "Wood for fire to cook meat." He finally said and Diggle nodded before taking off to do so.

This and other moments would continue to show that the Oliver that friends and family once knew was long gone and in his place was a different person entirely. But with time and their support, the new Oliver would fully recover and be able to move on with his life and into righting his father's wrongs before doing more then just as that as the hooded figure known as the Green Arrow.

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 **Author's Notes: I felt that was a good place to end this. I probably could do more with this theme if there's any interest and anything I can think of that would go with what I've done in this fic.**


	2. Normal Food

**Chapter 2**

 **Normal Food**

 **Disclaimer: And we are back with an all new chapter in the continuing struggle of Oliver's life since returning from Lian Yu! Thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter, it is highly appreciated!**

 **Summary: Various times Oliver tried eating normal food.**

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 **Ice Cream**

Deep within the Queen Mansion, particularly the basement where a large walk in freezer was located at. One Oliver Queen was inside the freezer with the door closed and not even caring about it. Why? Because the man who survived five years of Hell on an island had missed quite a few things and one of those was Ice Cream. Ice Cream he was currently pigging out on with a spoon he thankfully remembered to get! His long shaggy beard and parts of his long hair was covered in melted Ice Cream as he digged into his 5th box of the stuff and had no intentions of stopping now! He would have been out hunting again but someone had taken his knife he used to skin his kills with! Granted, he knew his friends and family weren't happy with him for skinning a Stag right in front of them a few days ago but to take his knife without speaking to him about it!? That just wasn't right!

As anything could happen at anytime and he needed that knife if he was going to adequately defend himself if he didn't have his bow on him at the time! A very important talk was going to have to happen really soon about the importance of his having that knife with him. As if he couldn't fight for whatever reason, using that knife to distract then fight would be the best way to go about it. _I'll have that talk after I have all this Ice Cream…_ He happily thought to himself as he ate his way through the 5th box of the stuff and not bothering to realize in his enjoyment of the frozen treat that his stomach was already pretty full.

 **Meanwhile… Outside of the Freezer**

Annie, one of Thea's long time friends was coming down into the basement after offering to grab some Ice Cream for all of them to enjoy. Sadly her bit of intended frozen fun was about to be denied! Coming up to the door and opening it, what she found inside was entirely what she wasn't expecting! As after all, how often do you come across a shaggy haired man who was starting to look a little blue going crazy on some Ice Cream and some of it covering his hair!? Not this girl that's for sure!

The sound of the door opening got the former castaway's attention and hoped whoever hadn't just opened the door wasn't about to try and attack him! "Hmm?" He grunted with a wide eyed look at the person who had opened the door. The light coming into the freezer made it kind of hard for him to fully see who the newcomer was.

Annie did the only thing she could do in this instance, she screamed loudly in fear at the sight of him looking at her crazily. Unfortunately for her he started to scream back as well as if he too was freaked out by the whole thing! He then started to walk towards her. "Who are you!?" He barked out and the girl screamed again, causing him to do it again and get the door slammed right in his face!

The unexpected motion caused him to fall over in shock and boy did that hurt his butt! Not to mention make it pretty cold too! _We have intruder in the house… Need weapons to protect home, family, and Ice Cream!_ A gurgling in his stomach just now finally made it clear how unhappy his stomach was starting to feel too!

Meanwhile, Thea and the other girls came running down the steps with alarm on their faces. "Annie what happened!?" The young Queen asked worriedly as she grabbed her friend by the arms and looked her in the eye.

"There's some cave man in your freezer!"

Thea looked at her confusedly as that couldn't be right! "Umm.. Could you run that one by me again please?"

"I'm serious girl! There's a freakin' cave man in there eating the Ice Cream!" Exclaimed Annie as really, this shouldn't be a difficult thing to believe!

Not sure if whether or not to believe her, Thea made the decision to call in Mr. Diggle and he thankfully arrived within seconds. "So we got us a possible intruder in there huh?"

Annie nodded fervently to his question and so Digg put a hand on his gun in case it was needed as he reached out to open the freezer door. And instantly regretted doing it too as a horrible smell started to make its way out and making the girls behind him gag. Fully opening the door, Diggle realized the intruder in question was Oliver himself and he could be heard groaning. "Mr. Queen, are you alright?"

His question sent the girls into whispering aside from Thea and Annie, as Thea was just confused over all and Annie felt embarrassed for not having realized it was Thea's older brother! Now maybe if he had shaved she would have recognized him!

From the spot where he sat against a shelf with an un-opened bucket of Strawberry Ice Cream, Oliver looked towards Diggle with an ill look on his face. "Too much… Ice… Cream..." He groaned out.

"How much could you have possibly had!?" Called out Thea from where she was in a strange sounding way thanks to the fact she was holding her nose in an attempt to not smell the horrible puke smell coming from the freezer. Something she knew Raisa was NOT going to be happy about!

"Five boxes..."

That response was something that not even Diggle could comprehend as it was crazy for anyone to eat that much! After getting the former cast away out and the mess was cleaned up courtesy of Raisa who had a very stern lecture in mind for Oliver when he was feeling better, a lock would be placed on the freezer door and only certain individuals would have a key to it. Something Oliver hated as it meant he had to get someone to open it up for him whenever he was in the mood for some Ice Cream. A camera would also have to be later installed to make sure he wasn't trying anything after he managed to break the lock at one point.

 **Pizza**

A few weeks after the Ice Cream incident Tommy had decided to bring a few pizzas over to the Queen Mansion to see if his buddy was down to eat a few slices while they watched whatever was interesting to them. For the Merlyn Scion, it had been a good idea in his head and even when he got skeptical looks from Thea he still thought it was a good idea since his buddy needed to start adjusting more to normal food now that he's not eating whatever he could find on that island. Or even out in the woods for that matter since Moira still refused to give Ollie the knife back much to his annoyance. What nobody knew was that he was close to deciding to sneak around in her room to find the thing. Unfortunately for him, one sniff from Oliver over the pizzas had made the man have no interest in the food.

"Dude! Its pizza, how can you say no to that!?"

"Because, the smell has no appeal to me Tommy." Which actually bummed him out some as he had loved pizza quite a bit before the island.

"Well ignore that and take a bite anyway." Replied Tommy, thinking it wouldn't be a big deal but the look he got in return told him what his buddy thought of that idea.

"Eat it with Thea, I'm sure she'll like it a lot more." Oliver told him before walking off and contemplating once again about breaking into his mother's room to get back his knife.

Tommy watched his best friend and brother in all but blood walk away with a sad look on his face over how things had just gone. And while he wasn't the praying sort, he wound up doing one then and there that his friend would find his way back to some sense of normalcy sooner rather than later.

 **Raisa's Special Stew**

A day after Tommy's pizzas, Raisa had decided to cook her special stew that had been a recipe in her family for generations as an extra special for the night's dinner and Oliver had wound up in the kitchen after smelling the pleasant aroma of the meal. Pleasant as it reminded him of certain animals he had eaten on the island but he doubted Raisa's stew was anything like any of those animals. Though he was willing to try some Stag with her stew provided she was willing to let him add it. His presence wound up startling the woman. "Oh! Mr. Oliver! You scared me!" She told him with a hand to her chest.

"Sorry, the smell of your stew drew me in here."

Knowing of his tastes these days she was rather happy to hear the smell had brung him in here and his scaring her accidentally made it all worth it to her now. Getting an idea, she dipped her stirring spoon into the pot and then brought it out with a little stew in it and brung it towards him. "Would you like to try some?" Hoping it would sit well with him.

Surprised by that, Oliver happily and gently took the spoon from her and tried the stew. Unfortunately for him however, whatever ingredient in it made his mouth begin to burn quickly. "Water!" He got out while handing the spoon back to her and going for the nearest sink and grabbing a measuring cup to fill it with nice cold water. She watched with shock on her face as he downed the water in one go before going for some more and wondered what it was in the stew that caused it.

It took three more glasses of water before his mouth cooled off before he turned to her with a guilty look on his face that made her heart break for him. "Sorry about that, I don't know what happened but it burned." And he loves her stew damnit!

She smiled at him to show it was okay. "I understand Mr. Oliver, perhaps you can try it again at a later time." He nodded at that and then she surprised him by giving him a tight hug. Something he returned happily.

 _This thing with food can't last forever._ He thought to himself as he continued to be hugged and hugged back in return.

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 **Author's Notes: I think that's a good place to end this chapter. Apologies if its not longer then it probably could be. My next update should be for 'Found But Still Lost' if I'm able to get past the slight writer's block I'm having with it. What would you guys like to see be covered next in this story? R and R!**


	3. Re-Gaining Normalcy

**Chapter 3**

 **Re-Gaining Normalcy**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here and apologies on the long wait for this. Takes place three months after the events of the last chapter and is still some time away from the events with Adam Hunt.**

 **Summary: The moments in which Oliver and normalcy began to try and re-connect.**

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 **Social Gathering**

An event related to the family's company was taking place at the Queen Mansion with the goal of benefitting a few charities through out Starling City and much to Oliver's annoyance and discomfort, he had to attend it since his family felt this might help get him comfortable around other people he didn't really know. And while he knew he needed to be able to be around others again, he absolutely hated it and had refused to shave or cut his hair but at least made it look presentable. He also refused to wear a suit and had gone for a simple black dress shirt and black slacks and it was the best Moira could hope for under the circumstances where her son was concerned. So far a lot of the attendees had left him be, whether or not it was because he gave off a vibe that said to leave him be or because they just didn't recognize him was the question. Unfortunately however, a meddlesome Tommy Merlyn had sent a few girls his way and the former castaway nearly used his hunting knife on them to get some peace again.

The very same hunting knife that his mother had taken from him but he thankfully managed to get it back and she still had yet to know about that little tidbit. Though how long that would last is anyone's guess. His lack of interest in their assets and what they were interested in doing with him had disappointed the girls as they'd been quite eager to welcome him back to proper civilization in their own little way. Tommy had walked up to him after the girls had left with a frown on his face that his little ploy hadn't worked. "Geez Ollie, why the refusal of some hot girls huh?"

He got a glare in return that actually made him step back in surprise as he hadn't been expecting it. "Damn well know why Tommy. Why is it so hard for you to grasp the fact I am not interested in that sort of crap anymore? That Island changed me in ways you can't comprehend." The fact he wasn't talking in the way he had for some time after coming home said a lot about his progression to normalcy but it was clear he still had some ways to go.

"If you're trying to get back into Laurel's good graces somehow, I really don't think that's gonna work buddy." Joked Tommy while being a bit serious and trying not to get annoyed by his best friend's attitude.

Another glare was aimed at him as Oliver crossed his arms in annoyance. "This is NOT about Laurel in any way as I haven't seen her in that light in a very long, long time. I don't want to sleep with trashy girls who clearly have no self respect for theirselves."

Tommy held his hands up in a defensive gesture to try and placate his best friend. "Hey, hey, just calm down okay? I was just trying to help is all man, I swear." Oliver could only sigh at that.

"I get that, but there's better ways then that sort of thing."

And with that, he walked off, leaving a contemplative Tommy behind who was really hating the new Oliver Queen and wondering if he was being truly serious about not seeing Laurel a certain way anymore. Luck would not be on Oliver's side however when he wound up running into Malcolm Merlyn himself. "Ah! Oliver, good to see you safe and sound. Apologies for not seeing you sooner as I've been quite busy in recent times." The two shook hands and reasons of the former castaway's own, decided to test the man by squeezing the man's hand and getting a response back.

"I understand perfectly Mr. Merlyn, after all you are the head of a well known company that leaves you little time for other things. But thank you regardless." Malcolm's smile didn't waver in the slightest from that shot as the two gripped one another's hands as a challenge of sorts and neither understanding why it was going on but not caring all that much at the time.

"I truly am sorry about the loss of your father Oliver as he was a great man." And the man seemed to genuinely sound sincere as well.

"Thank you Mr. Merlyn, I honestly appreciate that, as I'm sure my mother and sister do as well."

The two continued to test the other for several minutes until Moira had shown up with a smile on her face over how well things were going at the party tonight. Oliver expressed happiness for his mother and then excused himself as he wanted some air and privacy. His mother reluctantly let him go with a sad look on his face as Malcolm watched on and wondered just how much that Island had changed the young man.

 **Shopping at the Mall**

A few days after the event at the Queen Mansion, Thea had achieved a minor victory by dragging her brother with her to the mall in an attempt to help integrate him further into society again. That and to just try and spend a little time with her big brother as well and having no clue he had his hunting knife concealed on him. He'd been making an effort to keep it within his reach as much as possible so that his mother wouldn't be able to hide it from him again once she figures out he has it again. He and Tommy hadn't spoken much since the party either and the man could only hope he was attempting to find better ways that would help him out, if it was even possible at any rate. And despite being out amongst people at the mall, a part of the former castaway was enjoying himself as it made his little sister happy that he was along for the ride.

Although he did wear his green and tattered hood so that people wouldn't bother him all that much and thankfully Thea hadn't given him much crap about it yet thankfully. It wouldn't be until they were at a table at the mall's food court when she would ask him about the hood while she enjoyed an ice cream treat and he sipped on an Icee slowly to avoid a brain freeze. "Ollie?"

Her attention grabber did its job as he looked at her with his full attention. "Yeah Speedy?"

"What's with the hood? As that thing has clearly seen better days." Her tone was of curiosity and he could tell she wasn't looking to be insulting about it either.

While he could have lied about the hood, doing so felt like it would cheapen the memories of Yao Fei and Shado and they deserved better than that in his view of things. Going out of his comfort zone and surprising Thea in the process, he pulled the hood off and held it in his hands as he leaned over the table. "This hood once belonged to two of the greatest people I ever knew and had things been different, one of them would probably still be wearing this hood. And who knows, you'd have probably gotten to meet one or both of them as well." And it would be fixed up soon as well as leaving it the way it was wasn't a good thing in his view since it was practically like an old friend to him at this point in his life.

The sad but reverent tone he had when speaking of the hood and the two people who had it before him touched Thea deeply and she swore from then on that she wouldn't have a bad thing to say about that hood since it meant a lot to him. And while she was very interested to learn about the other two people and why she hadn't met them just yet, she was actually using her head for once and thinking that asking now wouldn't be the best of ideas. "They must have been something really special then Ollie for you to think that way about them." She finally said softly.

He gave her a sad smile in return and she could see that he was grateful she wasn't asking him any questions. "Yeah, they really were. Learned a lot from them."

Things were silent for several minutes after that between the two as she leaned over and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. It was hard to see her big brother be so different compared to how he was but she still wouldn't trade him for anything in the world after getting him back. As at the end of the day, he was still her brother. The two siblings would continue to enjoy their time together at the mall and Oliver never did put the hood back on, much to the surprise of them both. Which would lead to a somewhat hilarious moment when they met up with Annie and witnessed her nearly freaking out a bit over seeing him in public. Annie and Thea would tease him about the Ice Cream incident and he would thankfully take it in stride and young Thea would see that as a good sign of his growing return to normalcy.

Or at least as close to a form of normalcy for him anyway.

 **The Moment his Mother Particularly Loved.**

Two weeks after the mall trip saw Oliver Queen do something that was honestly surprising since many that knew him wasn't expecting him to do it anytime soon at all. The archer had finally felt it was time to get rid of all the extra hair on his head and face as one of his reasons for it was that it was starting to get annoying to take care of. He also considered this to be a test to see if he could handle a blade being so close to him and while he could have asked Raisa to cut his hair, he'd decided to visit the barber who'd long been taking care of his father's hair before the sinking of the Gambit. The former castaway had decided to tell no one about what he was doing as he wanted it to be a surprise and used a cap and a pair of glasses to get to the barber shop without being noticed by the media.

The haircut and shave could be counted as one of the most intense moments of his life due to his issues with having a blade that darn close to him but thankfully he managed to not flip out about it. By the time old man Johnson was finished, Oliver was pretty much bald and had a fresh clean shaven face for the first time in years and it was quite the sight to behold for the man when he looked in a mirror. The face looking back was one that the ladies would swoon over but the eyes told a different story however of all he'd been through in the past five years and he could see how one might get a little scared of the intensity seen in his eyes. Turning back to the barber, he extended a hand and the old man shook it. "Thank you Mr. Johnson."

"Anytime Mr. Queen, anytime!"

Once he paid the man and got outside, Oliver honestly felt a little weird without all the hair but would adjust to it in time. The slight chill on his head was refreshing for him as well and he had a nice amusing moment when Laurel passed him by and didn't even realize it was him! Which he supposed he couldn't blame her since she hadn't seen a clean shaven him in years. By the time he got home, the archer was fairly certain the internet was swarming like crazy with new pictures of him thanks to one particularly annoying photographer who would never quite see him the same way again after getting an example of his intense stare down.

Thea and Raisa were both in shock at the sight of him and as for his mother? She was honestly in tears and it wasn't long before she was hugging him either! Something that probably could have turned into a bad thing if he hadn't prepared himself in advance for it. Oliver could hear her murmuring that her beautiful boy was finally coming back to her and a part of him knew that wasn't entirely the case but he wasn't about to ruin the moment. It wasn't long before his sister and Raisa joined in on the hug as well while Walter watched on with a smile on his face. The former castaway knew that he was starting to come back into a slight sense of normalcy and would still be dealing with certain issues as those would take time to deal with, but he would win against them as he was a survivor against any odds. And the time would soon come when he would honor the wishes of his father and start going after the names on the List.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Well I think that's a good place to end this chapter, and quite possibly the story itself. Thanks for reading folks! Hopefully this chapter will have been to everyone's liking and handled pretty well too. R and R and happy Thanksgiving!**


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